At long last, the Australian government has added one of Putin’s claque to the sanctions list, Origin’s fracking partner in the Beetaloo Basin. And dirty dealings in a dirty industry don’t end there. The case highlights the massive government outlay required for otherwise uneconomic projects, writes Kurt Johnson. It’s worth asking exactly why the Australian government dithered until today to sanction oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. This associate of Vladimir Putin, owner of world’s largest collection of Fabergé eggs, has a significant minority stake in Falcon Oil and Gas Australia. The company, in a joint venture with operator Origin Energy which together own three permits in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin, the keystone project of the government’s “Gas-fired Recovery Strategy”.

Source: Fog of War: how Australian taxpayers enriched Putin’s fracking mate – Michael West Media